Improvement in pumps



UNITED STATES PATENT GEEIGE..

l M. J. ALTHOUSE, OF vVAUPUN, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN PUMPS.

v Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,536, datedNovember 13, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, M. J. ALTHOUSE, of Waupun, in the county ofFond duLac and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Pump-Buckets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure lis a vertical central section through the center of apump-bucket having my improvement applied to it. Fig. 2 is a similarview of the bucket having its expansible packing exposed to the actionof the water. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section of Fig. 1, taken at thepoint indicated by red line m w. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of Fig.2, taken at the point indicated by the red line thereon.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severaliigures.

This invention relates to an improvement on an eXpansible-packing woodenpump-bucket which was described in my application for a patent February24, 1866, in which I employed expansible packing rings of leather, whichwere confined in an annular recess formed in the cylindrical body of thebucket, and forcibly expanded by the action of the column of water abovethe bucket during the ascent of the same. The water is caused to actupon the packing through vertical passages, which conduct the waterwithin a chamber containing a spring that presses the packing outwardwith more or less force, as described in said application for LettersPatent.

I have found that the spring above meutioned will answer every purposefor keeping the packing in close contact with the bore of the pumpwithout the assistance of the pressure of a column of water; but whenthe circumference of the leather wears away, after some length of time,it is then necessary to take advantage of the said pressure of water toact in concert with the spring, for pressing out the packing during theascent of the bucket.

The object of my invention is to employ suitable valves or plugs, inconjunction with water-passages leading to a chamber in the body of thebucket, for receiving the packing, for the purpose of closing saidpassages and opening them at pleasure, or as circumstances may require,as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings I represent my invention applied to awooden pumpbucket of a well-known form, A being the cylindrical body ofthe bucket, and B the tapering arched stem of thebucket, to the upperend of which the pump-rod should be attached. The stem B is arched toreceive upon the top of the cylinder A the valve C, which isconstructed, in the usual manner, to open upward and then close andprevent the descent of the water which has been lifted.

An annular recess is made in the cylinder A, within which is fittedsnugly a number of eXpansible packing-rings, a a, which are made ofleather split obliquely, and arranged within the annular recess b, sothat their peripheries shall project beyond the circumference of thecylinder A and form a packing therefor.

Vithin the chamber b is a spring, c, so constructed that it will pressthe packing-rings a a outward against the bore of the pump with greateror less force.

There are two vertical apertures leading from the top of the cylinder Ainto the recess b, for the purpose of admitting the column of waterabove the bucket during its ascent to forcibly expand the packing-rings.

When the 'packing-rings are first applied within a pump the spring cwill answer every purpose, for a short time, to keep the said ringsexpanded; but when-the rings become worn considerably, it is desired toemploy the pressure of the column of water during the ascent of theplunger or bucket to expand the rings, the spring c only serving in thiscase to keep the space b within them open to receive the water 'throughapertures c e, and also to press very gently upon said rings.

To provide for opening or closing, or partially opening or closing, theapertures e c, I employ two valves, g g, which are applied over saidapertures on top of the portion A, which valves may be made as shown inthe drawings, or in any other suitable manner.

When it is not desired to allow water to press upon and expand thepackin g-rin gs, the valves are made to close the apertures c e, asshown in Figs. l and 3; but when the packing-rings become worn, so thatthe spring c is too weak to press themoutwith'the required force, thenthe valves g g are opened', so Vas to allow' tlieuwat'erI to act inconcert with the spring c;

If desirable, the valves g g may be only partially opened, and thepressure upon the packing rings thus regulated according to the powerrequired to force them outward .f Y

By my invention I am not only'enabled to cut off and let on the water atpleasure, but I can regulate the pressure of thewaterV uponthepacking-rin gs as circumstances may require.

Having thus described my invention, what

